Letter of Recommendation from a non-English speaker

[BenjaminTM12]

So, I have someone who doesn't speak English (not enough to write a whole letter anyway) writing a letter of rec. for me later this year. Wondering if there is a concrete, established way to go about doing this, or if it is a school by school thing...

I already have a third party translator lined up (I can't translate it, ya?), but wondering a little about the specifics. As in do I need to include the original language copy? (thinking so...) Does the writer and the translator sign? Stuff like that.

If you've never heard of this happening, let me know, cause in that case it is most certainly something to contact each school about.

Thanks in advance!😉

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[DrMidlife]

I seriously thought about doing this after working in Central America, but the logistics were too much work.

You have to waive your right to see a letter, for the letter to have validity. So your recommender has to work directly with your letter service. Meaning you can't insert yourself in there to get a translation produced, and you thus have to get your recommender to both procure a translation (that you don't get to read) and submit both the original and the translation to the service.

If you know the recommender well enough to ask for that, and trust that you'll get it, great.

Personally I'd look at a non-US recommendation as a 4th or 5th letter, after 2-3 US science faculty, 1 non-science faculty, and maybe a boss.

Best of luck to you.

 

[perpetual labor]

Hey. I had a similar situation in this past application cycle. My letter-writer could understand enough written English to feel comfortable having me "assist" him in the process. I wrote a description of the work we had done, a description of my merits, and one hell of an over-done medical school LOR. He and I talked over the letter, and he followed the e-collection service instructions to submit the letter. He submitted both a hand-written Spanish LOR and our (similar) combined English LOR.

Obviously this is only an option if your mentor/letter-writer feels comfortable letting you read the "closed" letter. My Spanish-English LOR was a big topic of conversation in my interviews. Adcom members seemed really enthusiastic about the letter and the experience.

If you do end up assisting this individual to write an English LOR, be sure that you don't change too much of the original language. While I made sure the translated LOR made sense, I tried to keep as much of my mentor's original wording as possible.

If you're applying to BGU-MSIH, GWU SOM, Columbia U. SOM, or any other school with a major focus on international medicine, I imagine a recommendation written in two languages could only help.

Good Luck.

-P

 

[BenjaminTM12]

Thanks for a quick response!😀

perpetual labor, when you say "'assist'", was that in any official capacity? i.e., did the schools you were applying to know to what extent you were helping?

Also, when you say you followed the e-collection service instructions, were the instructions any different from a regular letter, i.e., one from a US professor, that is fluent in English?



DrMidlife, if what you said is true, would it be kosher if I set the translator and the writer up, and they worked together to get it done with no involvement from me? Let me know what you think about doing that, simply acting as a liaison.

Also, I didn't mention this since it didn't seem relevant, but I'm applying to SMPs and other 1 year grad programs. Most of these types seem to need only three letters. I have two coming from science teachers I had close ties to in college, and I wanted a third that came from the three years I've spent out of college, (albeit, not a college professor)

 

[perpetual labor]

Thanks for a quick response!😀

perpetual labor, when you say "'assist'", was that in any official capacity? i.e., did the schools you were applying to know to what extent you were helping?

Also, when you say you followed the e-collection service instructions, were the instructions any different from a regular letter, i.e., one from a US professor, that is fluent in English?

By "assist" I mean that I wrote a complete LOR for myself, and gave it to the letter-writer along with example letters and guidelines from various US undergraduate pre-health offices. I helped with phrasing, focusing points, and structure.

With VeCollect and Interfolio, the letter-writer needs to submit the letter for it to be official/"sealed." So, after my letter-writer felt like he had the letter where he wanted it, I send him very specific Spanish-English instructions on how to submit the letter electronically. This process was... trying. In the end though, I had a stellar recommendation with a lot of international authenticity. I hope it helps with my applications at GWU and BGU-MSIH.

While some people might questions the ethics of having this kind of letter submitted as a "sealed letter," I feel righteous. After all, the final letter he submitted I did not get to screen (though he sent me a copy along with the confirmation email he received--as well as a Youtube video of Shakira--Wakka Wakka, come to think of it ).

-ZACH

 

[BenjaminTM12]

Thanks a lot for responding Zach, just to sum up everything you did.

1. You provided him with example letters of recommendation and a self-written letter of recommendation.

2. You read the Spanish letter of recommendation, and helped him with form and structure.

3. Your recommender wrote an English version of the letter which you also helped him with in terms of phrasing.

4. You gave him instructions on how to submit the final two letters.

5. Your recommender submitted a hand-written Spanish LoR and a typed(?) English LoR. And you had only read the final version of the Spanish LoR before your recommender submitted both.

And you are currently in an application cycle with this letter of recommendation? The Adcoms haven't questioned the letter writing process or the reason there is a Spanish version and an English version?

Sorry, just want to understand the process you used in case I end up doing something similar. Although I might have a third party translator help with the phrasing/grammar/spelling.

 

[perpetual labor]

Yep. I didn't technically see the version that was submitted, so I can't see why it wouldn't be a "closed" letter. The letter-writer understood what we were doing and was comfortable with me helping him phrase and organize it. And yes, adcoms received a hand-written Spanish LOR and a typed English LOR as part of the same PDF/virtual eval.

I'm hoping hard that at least one adcom gives me an interview out of curiosity. That would be awesome.

Good Luck.

-P

 

[BenjaminTM12]

Alright, thank you for all of your help. I still think I will contact a few schools to see if they have guidelines or procedures to follow.

I have also contacted a former professor that was originally a Japanese citizen before coming to America for graduate school.

I will however keep your example in mind as well. After all it might be the example I follow.🙄

I wish you the best with your admissions process. Let me know how things turn out.👍

 

[BenjaminTM12]

Not to beat a dead horse, but in case there are other people out there who want a LoR from a non-English speaker, I thought I'd post the replies I got from different SMPs about the subject.

I wrote a few different Universities, here is Barry University's response concerning the matter.

Hello Benjamin,

Thank you for your interest in the Master’s in Biomedical Sciences program at Barry University. Yes, you may work with a third party translator to write the letter since your recommender does not speak English. The letter and English translation must be attached, and your recommender must sign the letter.

Please contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Kaercher
Admissions and Marketing Coordinator
Health Sciences Admissions
Barry University
11300 NE 2nd Ave
Miami Shores, FL 33161
PH 305-899-3379
Fax 305-899-3232